Artists Biographies

Percival Albert (Percy) Trompf (1902-1964)

His posters for the Australian National Travel Association and the Victorian Government Railways received widespread recognition for their images from nature.

His bright, colorful, optimistic pictures had wide appeal, especially during the Depression.

Trompf supervised all stages of production, including the printing; most of his posters were 25 ins by 40 ins (64 cm by 102 cm).

In the 1930s his posters attracted attention overseas: the Royal Society of Arts, London, awarded him first prize in an annual industrial poster competition.

After World War II, as photographs gradually replaced graphic imagery, the demand for poster art fell.

In his late fifties Trompf was a graphic designer for books issued by the Australian Publicity Council.

Percy Trompf died 17 July 1964. His national and regional images captured the imagination of his contemporaries and found a renewed appreciation in the 1980s.